SRS55 - Improving consent form compliance in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a closed-loop audit using pre-printed risk templates

Abstract Informed consent is a fundamental component of safe surgical practice, yet we identified inconsistent documentation of risks in laparoscopic cholecystectomy consent forms at our institution. Comprehensive disclosure of all material risks is essential for patient understanding and medicolegal protection, but variability exists, especially in emergency surgery. We conducted a retrospective audit of 46 emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy consent forms over seven months, assessing documentation compliance for 15 commonly accepted risks. Pre-intervention results showed wide variability: while bleeding, infection, and conversion to open surgery were documented in 100% of cases, less frequent risks such as keloid formation (17.4%), death (2.2%), and chest infection (6.5%) were often omitted. To improve consistency, we introduced a pre-printed consent form template listing all standard risks, implemented across the surgical team. A re-audit of 23 subsequent consent forms over two months demonstrated complete compliance, with all 15 risks documented in 100% of cases. This simple, low-cost intervention significantly improved risk documentation quality, enhancing patient safety and alignment with national guidelines. Although limited by a smaller post-intervention sample and short re-audit period, the approach is scalable and easily replicable in similar settings. Standardizing consent documentation through pre-printed templates represents an effective strategy to ensure thorough risk communication and support informed surgical decision-making in laparoscopic cholecystectomy.